Rep. Camp Supreme Court Opened 'Brave New World' for New Taxes

The Supreme Court decision upholding the 2010 health-care law’s individual insurance mandate as a tax opens a “brave new world” for Congress to impose levies, said Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Congress must consider the implications of allowing a tax on “inactivity,” such as the penalty for not purchasing health insurance, Camp, a Michigan Republican, said at a hearing today in Washington.

“Under that premise, what is there to stop future Congresses from using this taxing authority to compel a similar ‘it’s for the good of the country’ outcome?” he said. “If one refuses to purchase the goods and services the government thinks are best for the country, the act of not purchasing can now trigger a tax.”

The court’s 5-4 ruling on June 28 upheld the requirement that most individuals obtain health insurance, passed by Congress as part of the health-care overhaul. It will apply starting in 2014.